To Buy or to DIY, here is my question

Okay time for some replies:

 

OldSchool- I built a dozen Owens Corning 703 2' x 4' panels 3 years ago.

Nearly cried when I heard the improvement.

Then again if I take my gear outside to the patio and

listen, well I just want to move out there permanently.

 

Re all Altec Model 19 proponents. Agreed a great  speaker.

I owned the Altec Maestro 500s. Basically the 19 in a pro version.

Modded them up and moved on.

 

If I build anything it will have only the best components and drivers.

The XO will be designed by someone way better that most. Like

Danny Richie.  

No-Rez inside and braced every which way. 

 

Undecided whether to port or not. 

 

Jonk & Phus- My goal is for the speaker to double as a toaster.

Could not agree more with your perspectives.

 

Rustybut  & Drumax- Funny you should include the Linkwitz photo

from November in Heraldsburg. I was in the room. I liked the effect 

but those speakers have no presence in my book. Also too hideous

to be allowed out in public.

 

 

Thanks for the support!!!

 

 

@gdaddy1 Thanks so much for taking the time to share your great tips.

DIY is a process. And the process is it’s own reward. 
 

Since COVID hit, I’ve built several dozen pairs of speakers. DIY speakers are like potato chips. Once you start, it’s very difficult to stop after just one.

Tuning a speaker will help teach you how to listen. Tiny changes in damping, stuffing, crossover components, crossover design will all show you what is, and is not possible to do.

I would suggest starting, as others have suggested, with something simple. If you are handy and can build a square box with accurate dimensions and a couple of holes in it, there is no need to buy a flat pack. And start with an inexpensive design. Use inexpensive components. Think of this as a sketch, a playful experiment. Don’t expect it to be a showpiece out of the gate. Do expect to be surprised to find how little it takes to have something sound decent. That, and how difficult it is to make something truly exceptional. Keep it manageable, both from a technical build part and from an expenditure standpoint. The less stress you place on yourself for the first build, the more enjoyable it will be. What you learn from listening to the build will forever change how you listen to your system. You will literally be put inside the gear.

Perki,

Great advice. What effects a build is stress and rushing it, Sometimes you need to step. back until all the pieces if the puzzle fall into place, 

I'm in production and time is money but sometimes you have to abandon that thought to get the end result you are wanting. 

These were the second pair of speakers I built. They were built for a friend. He was needing to keep himself busy while dealing with cancer. I convinced him to get a new pair of speakers so as to inject some new interest in his system and thereby reconnecting with his music while dealing with his health issues. He wanted a three way speaker, something akin to his Spendors. I convinced him to try something completely different - something he would never in a million years have access to commercially. If he bought the wood and drivers, I would build whatever speaker he wanted. He agreed to these. My feeling was if was getting me to build something, they should be a new sonic experience. If he didn’t like them, he would likely be able to sell them and at least get a chunk of the money back. He has had people wanting to buy them, but he has not parted with them yet :)

Telling this story because DIY allows for new speaker types to be tried, with comparatively little in the way of money being required. And if the building provides joy, then it’s not work, its pleasure. They are the big double backloaded horns.